Final Wishes
by Amanthya
Summary: The last thoughts of Rufus as Alicia disappears, and of Valkyrie, with memories of Alicia's love for him, knowing there's little time before she fades away into the cycle of rebirth.


_A/N: My first VP fic, inspired by way too many youtube videos. I was considering the final thoughts and wishes of Rufus, and Valkyrie, and why she did him the favor of turning her eyes blue, and just how conscious were those four souls that made up one new one inside of her? Btw, I don't know exactly how the name of Rufus's ring is to be spelled, and forgive me if I got it wrong, but I made my best guess._

_ The final line belongs to Silmeria, and it was designed to echo what she said to her human host in the prologue, "Open your eyes...Alicia".  
_

**Final Wishes**

He ran to her, tried to grasp her shoulders, but he felt her body becoming more insubstantial every second. She smiled peaceably up into his face, knowing this. Her eyes were still blue, signifying it was Alicia's portion of the unified soul that was gazing at him.

He didn't know what exactly he was trying to do. Maybe, passing through his mind had been a thought of drawing the united souls into his own body as Alicia had done to both himself, and Silmeria, before. It wasn't working, of course. But if it did…what then? He'd house Valkyrie's soul inside his own body, and though she bore the memories of the trio of goddesses and Alicia herself, she was none of them. She was all of them. How conscious were they individually? They would never be free to be reborn on their own…on the other hand he wouldn't have to endure the agony of being without some measure of Alicia's soul ever again.

Her form began to lose shape. 'Please, no!' But Brahms had said this would happen, Alicia's body wouldn't be able to sustain so much power for long.

'I never got to say…'

His arms collapsed on themselves and a burst of feathers clouded his vision. Then they, too, were gone, and he fell to his knees. "Alicia…" he whispered, unable to believe it. But reality sunk into much too quickly. "Alicia!" he screamed, regret and despair and hopeless rage coursing through him as the twisted world's castle fell apart all around him. How desperately he wished he already had the power of a god; he could have saved her, instead of it being the other way around. She might have lived.

The foundations of the monstrous world Lezard had created shook, as if tearing themselves apart in shame of their very existence. Brahms and Angrim yelled warnings, moved about behind him as they avoided the falling debris. Had he been paying attention, he might have half-wished for some of it to fall on him, and end his suffering. It didn't, in any case.

But he didn't notice. All his attention was focused a couple of feet away from him, still on his knees, where something glittered on the broken floor. She had dropped it, or rather, her body had faded away and left it behind, and it had fallen to the ground with a carelessness Alicia had never shown towards the ruby adorned trinket while she still lived.

The Ring of Mylinn.

.  
.

When all was finally quiet, echoes and dust rising around him, he got to his feet and went to it, stooping down to pick it up. It was cold in his hand. Alicia's face flashed before his mind's eye. There was only one thing to do now.

Valkyrie let go of her hold on her deteriorating physical form, closing her eyes to the glow.

"Alicia?" came Rufus's questioning voice. She turned, knowing he addressed her, though that was no longer her name.

He looked at her so uncertainly. The peace that came of saving the world, and the combined wisdom of the valkyries' souls, allowed her to feel light, unburdened by mortal sorrow. But she remembered Alicia's love for him, and memories of all Alicia had never said surfaced, and she willed her eyes to change hue, smiling at him. He stepped back.

She glanced down, pondering ever so briefly, and lifted her hand. She knew she could not stay. She—they—were destined for rebirth. But nonetheless, she gently pressed her lips to his ring on her finger, to show what Alicia had felt for him, acknowledging the unspoken love between them.

"Alicia!" He ran to her, trying to place his hands on her shoulders, to pull her towards him. She could see the fear in his eyes, and could imagine what he thought. But he did not have to power to capture her soul inside of himself and make her his einherjar. It was actually a terrible thought; that he might want to keep her from the cycle of rebirth, trapping the four souls together into a being that was truly none of them, but holding characteristics, memories, mannerisms, of all of them.

But he could not.

He lowered his face to hers, lips moving, but no sound came out.

She burst into light, and her last fleeting awareness was of feathers.  
.  
.

"What will happen now?" a tired voice asked.

"Can he be depended on?" a stronger voice asked doubtfully.

"His soul is stronger than even he knows," a third voice said sagely. "He will do."

"Don't worry. The worlds are safe, and they will remain so. He will honor your wishes…Alicia," said the final voice, before they all fell silent and drifted into unknowingness.

At least, for the time being…


End file.
